To paraphrase a friend of mine, people go to a classical music performance to hear the composer’s music. They go to a bluegrass show to hear the performer’s music, whether written by themselves or someone else. So I found it intriguing to listen to Trish Imbrogno’s (aka Trish Plays Bass) debut EP. After 25 years […]
The Unfaithful Servants – Fallen Angel
There’s a reason every roller coaster is different. Some folks like the shake and clatter of an old fashioned wooden coaster as you ratchet up to the precipice, while others prefer the loops and barrel rolls of a modern steel structure. To each his own. For The Infamous Stringdusters co-founder Jesse Cobb, he decided that […]
Damn Tall Buildings – The Universe Is Hungry
A few years ago, at Folk Alliance, I was in a room waiting for a band I wanted to hear when I saw a band I realized I needed to hear, Brooklyn’s Damn Tall Buildings. They’re a bluegrass trio that clearly had honed a lot of their act out on a sidewalk where you have […]
East Nash Grass on Broken Strings and the Art of Songwriting
The members of award-winning bluegrass band East Nash Grass recall early gigs and day jobs and reflect on how the music industry has turned musicians into traveling apparel companies that play music to generate revenue.
Rosy Nolan – Main Attraction
Back in the 1930’s and 1940’s country music started building a national following, helped by the growing adoption of radio and popular shows like The Grand Ole Opry. Hollywood added their weight with westerns featuring singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Bob Wills. The latter became even more well known for morphing those appearances into […]
Josh Fortenbery – Tidy Memorial
I’ve been writing about music for over 20 years now. I would have said I’ve heard every angle imaginable about how a songwriter approaches their craft. I would have been wrong. Alaskan Josh Fortenbery has a new album out, Tidy Memorial, and the ten songs are all written as a eulogy to something or someone. […]
Shawn Camp on Staying in the Moment and Touring in His Customized Mercedes Sprinter
Country and bluegrass virtuoso Shawn Camp talks about leading tours at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the type of guitar strings that he currently uses, and his approach to rehearsals (hint: he doesn’t).
East Nash Grass – All God’s Children
A few years ago a friend of mine told me about a Monday night bluegrass show at Dee’s in East Nashville. He said it was like a romper room for string band musicians, where fun was favored over taking the traditions of bluegrass too seriously. The lineup was always a little different, but had a […]
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country – Horizons
Daniel Dontato’s Cosmic Country is releasing a new album Horizons tomorrow. This is one I have been looking forward to. Although, before I jump into Daniel Donato’s new project, a little etymology on the term Cosmic Country is in order. Before you can appreciate what Donato refers to as Cosmic Country you need to understand […]
Chip’s Best of 2025 – So Far
I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. My year end best of is a daunting task, so I am going to cut the challenge in half and try to get the Twangville readers to think about what their favorites are so far in 2025. No better to do that than give you […]